No go at Hylo for Zii Jia after second round loss to Kodai

Malaysia men’s singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia in action against India’s Ayush Shetty in the first round match of Malaysia Open at Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil on January 6th, 2026. — IZZRAFIQ ALIAS/The Star

PETALING JAYA: Lee Zii Jia’s hopes of making a deep run at the Hylo Open were dashed after he went down to World Championships silver medallist Kodai Naraoka of Japan in the men's singles second round on Thursday (Oct 29).

Zii Jia, who is still recovering from a bout of fever, struggled in the opening game before fighting back strongly to force a decider at the Saarlandhalle in Saarbrucken,

However, it was not enough as Naraoka capitalised on a string of errors from Zii Jia, who went down 11-21, 21-13, 14-21 in 63 minutes.

Zii Jia’s exit also left Malaysia without a representative in the men’s singles after Cheam June Wei had earlier lost 18-21, 17-21 to India’s Kiran George in the first round on Wednesday (Oct 28).